Bulls-Pacers Preview

By KEVIN CHROUSTPosted Nov 06 2013 5:59PM

With the Indiana Pacers dealing with key injuries and the Chicago Bulls back to being healthy, the early season Central Division focus was supposed to be shifting back to the latter.

But it's the Pacers hosting the Bulls Wednesday night with a shot at a franchise-first 5-0 start as they try to remain the NBA's only unbeaten team.

"It would be a big win, a huge confidence booster," Indiana's Paul George said. "But it's no statement. The season's still early."

Frank Vogel's team reached 4-0 for the first time since 2004-05 and the third time in history with a 99-91 win at Detroit Tuesday.

Consistent with strong defensive efforts in their first three games, the Pacers jumped out to a 29-14 first-quarter lead by holding the Pistons to 7-of-23 shooting. But they followed that up with just nine second-quarter points.

"Our starters' disposition and attitude and energy took the game back over," Vogel said. "We were able to ride it out."

With Danny Granger still inactive with a left calf injury, George continues to elevate his game. He scored 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting for his second 30-point game this season, bumping his scoring average to 27.0.

The Pacers are holding opponents to 85.5 points per game on 37.9 percent shooting a season after allowing an NBA-low 42.0 percent from the floor.

If there's been anything to complain about, it's been turnovers. They're averaging 19.5 and haven't had a game with fewer than 18.

In addition to being without Granger, the Pacers will be missing guard George Hill for a third straight game with a sore hip. C.J. Watson will again start in Hill's place.

The Bulls (1-2) are trying to avoid losing three of their first four for the first time since drafting Derrick Rose before the 2008-09 season.

They lost 107-104 at Philadelphia Saturday after blowing a 20-point second-quarter lead.

Rose went 4 for 14 with 13 points and six assists. His eight turnovers tied the third highest total of his career.

"I would blame tonight on me," said Rose, who has been dealing with a neck injury. "Turnovers, missed shots, miscommunication - I just couldn't get in my groove."

Rose is averaging 14.3 points on 28.8 percent shooting with 4.3 assists in his first three games back from knee surgery, but it hasn't been only him struggling.

Joakim Noah, an All-Star last season, is averaging 6.0 points on 31.8 percent shooting after averaging a career-high 11.9 points last year.

Opponents are shooting 47 percent from 3-point range against the Bulls while they're hitting just 23.2 percent of their 3s, including a 6-for-30 mark in their last two. Luol Deng is 1 of 12 from long range.

"You've got to correct things immediately; you got to put the work into it," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau told the team's official website. "You can't hope it to happen; you have to make it happen. And we need everybody doing it. We can't rely on a certain two or three guys to do everything. Our entire team is needed. This isn't a Derrick issue, this is a team issue and we have to correct it."

One of Rose's three career 40-point games came at Indiana on March 18, 2011, when he scored 42. Three of his 13 games over 35 have come against the Pacers.

The Bulls are 14-6 against the Pacers with Rose and 4-5 at Indiana. They went 1-3 against the Pacers last year without him, including 0-2 on the road.

George scored 34 points - the second-highest total of his career - in the first meeting with the Bulls last year, an 80-76 Pacers win Dec. 4, 2012.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Perfect Pacers pull away late from Bulls 97-80

By MICHAEL MAROTPosted Nov 06 2013 11:03PM

Luis Scola, Donald Sloan and Lance Stephenson combined for all 12 points in a decisive fourth-quarter run, sending the still unbeaten Pacers past division rival Chicago 97-80 and to its best start since 1971-72.

"They brought all of us in to make the bench a little deeper than it was last year, and I think the guys on the bench know their role," Sloan said. "So it just fits."

Perfectly.

The NBA's last unbeaten team is 5-0 for the first time in Indiana's NBA history. Indiana can tie its franchise record, 6-0 set by the 1970-71 ABA powerhouse, when Toronto visits Friday night.

Wednesday's victory may have been the most impressive yet.

Again, the Pacers played short-handed. Starting point guard George Hill missed his third straight game with a sore left hip, and swingman Danny Granger still has not played because of a strained left calf.

Again, they had to rally from a halftime deficit.

And again, they found a way to close it out.

Paul George, the league's second-leading scorer, finished with 21 points, six rebounds and three assists. David West had 17 points and 13 rebounds, both season-highs. Roy Hibbert had eight points, 10 rebounds and added five more blocks to his league-leading total.

But Scola, Sloan and Stephenson changed the script.

After missing his first seven shots and scoring just three points in the first three quarters, Stephenson had 12 points in the final 12 minutes including two big 3-pointers during the decisive stretch. He finished with 15 points. Scola added 12, none more critical than the consecutive baskets he made midway through the fourth. Sloan scored nine points including the 17-footer that tied the score midway through the fourth.

"We just play hard. We feel like that we going to bring it every night on the defensive end, offensive end and we going to find a way to get that `W,"' Stephenson said. "And we did that tonight."

It sure wasn't easy against their fiercest division rival.

Derrick Rose and Luol Deng scored 17 points each to lead the Bulls (1-3), though Rose scored only three points in 12 minutes in the second half and he spent the first half of the fourth quarter on the bench.

"A couple players on their team made big plays, great second-chance efforts with the rebounding and Lance, I think, played great for them tonight knocking down shots and just playing hard," Rose said before answering a question about his minutes. "I'll leave that up to Tibs, he's the coach on this team, so I'll let him coach."

Perhaps Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau thought it was better to protect Rose's surgically repaired left knee in this rugged game that looked more like a boxing title bout.

Bodies repeatedly crashed hard to the court all night, and the game got progressively more physical with each quarter.

Pacers backup center Ian Mahinmi left late in the third quarter with a sprained left ankle and did not return. Chicago guard Kirk Hinrich was called for a flagrant foul in the fourth. There was a resounding thud inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse, too, when Chicago Joakim Noah hit the court while trying to protect his own basket late in the fourth.

But until the stretch, neither team could get the upper hand.

After leading 25-19 at the end of one quarter and trailing 43-37 at halftime, it looked like Indiana might break away after starting the third quarter on a 10-2 run and then coming up with a 9-2 spurt to regain the lead. When Sloan hit a 3-pointer with 1:12 left in the third, Indiana suddenly led 63-55.

It didn't last.

Hinrich answered with a 3, Deng hit an 11-foot jumper, drawing a foul on George, and Pacers coach Frank Vogel was called for a technical. Chicago hit both free throws to make it 63-62. The Bulls pulled even on Mike Dunleavy's 3 early in the fourth and regained the lead, 67-65, on Deng's midrange jumper with 8:38 to play.

Sloan tied the score at 67, Stephenson gave Indiana the lead with a 3, Scola followed that with consecutive baskets and Stephenson closed the run with another 3 to make it 77-69 with 5:16 to go.

Chicago never seriously challenged again as the Pacers pulled away.

"We've had a good feel since he got here. The guy's just a winner," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said of Scola. "He just goes out there and knows how to play this game. He's one of the best players in the history of international basketball and one of the best power forwards in the game. We've got him as a backup power forward. It's quite a luxury."

NOTES: Rose opened the game with his best offensive half of the season, going 5 of 9 from the field with 12 points and one 3 in the first two quarters. ... The Bulls fell to 6-22 all-time at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ... Chicago's Carlos Boozer came into the game shooting an NBA-best 65.9 percent from the field and averaging 22.3 points but went just 3 of 10 with six points. ... The Pacers follow this back-to-back stretch with three games in the next five days.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Pacers 97, Bulls 80

THE FACT: The last time Indiana began a season 5-0, the Pacers won a championship -- in the 1971-72 ABA season.

THE LEAD: Paul George scored 21 points with six rebounds and played stifling defense against Derrick Rose to help lead the Pacers to a 97-80 rout of the visiting Bulls Wednesday before a sellout crowd of 18,165 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. David West scored 17 with 13 rebounds and Lance Stephenson had 15 points as Indiana broke open the game in the second half, outscoring the Bulls 60-37 and limiting the visitors to 11-for-37 shooting (.297). Rose and Luol Deng scored 17 apiece for Chicago (1-3), but the Bulls' star point guard managed just five points and 1-for-6 shooting in the second half.

QUOTABLE: "That's a good start, but how we're playing is even more encouraging."

-- Indiana coach Frank Vogel on the 5-0 start

THE STAT: Indiana has been outscored by 42 points in the second quarter, including 24-12 by the Bulls. But the Pacers have outscored opponents by 38 in the third quarter, including 26-19 Wednesday night.

TURNING POINT: The Pacers appeared to be taking control with a 16-6 run in the third quarter that produced a 63-55 lead but the Bulls scored seven points in the final 5.9 seconds of the quarter -- a 3-pointer by Kirk Hinrich, a three-point play by Deng and a technical foul free throw by Mike Dunleavy, to cut the lead to one entering the fourth. Deng's jumper put the Bulls up 69-67 with 7:14 remaining but Stephenson and Luis Scola combined for 15 points in an 18-4 run that broke it open.

QUOTABLE II: "We have the kind of team that some days it's going to be one person and other days somebody else. We just have to be focused. ... It's a great win, big for us. The fact that we've started 5-0, we have created a little window between us and the other playoff contenders. Those are great things for the moment we are in right now."

-- Luis Scola

GOOD MOVE: With Stephenson struggling mightily -- he was just 1-for-10 with three points through three quarters -- Vogel pulled him aside between the third and fourth periods and repeated the message, "Just stay with it, just stay with it." Stephenson scored 12 in the fourth quarter and played a major role in putting the Bulls away.

BAD MOVE: Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau paired Rose with Hinrich in a small backcourt for much of the second half which played into the hands of the Indiana defense. It freed George to defend Rose -- while forcing the reverse mismatch at the other end -- and allowing either C.J. Watson or Donald Sloan to guard Hinrich. Rose was invisible in the second half.

NOT: Rose shot 6-for-15 and is now 21-for-67 (.313) for the season, with more turnovers (21) than assists (15). ... Joakim Noah missed both his shots and is 7-for-24 (.292). ... Deng shot 6-for-18, Carlos Boozer 3-for-10 and George 6-for-19.

QUOTABLE III: "It seems like every team is using that strategy, putting a big guy on me in a double-team and forcing me to pass the ball."

-- Derrick Rose

NOTABLE: George Hill missed his third consecutive game with a sore hip. Vogel said the point guard is "literally day-to-day" and hopes he can play Friday against Toronto. ... Watson started once again, this time against his former Chicago teammates, and had 11 points and four assists. ... Ian Mahinmi left in the third quarter with a sprained left ankle and did not return, though Vogel said he was cleared if necessary. ... George has scored at least 21 points in each game and is averaging 25.8. ... West had 13 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. ... Roy Hibbert blocked five shots to bring his NBA-leading total to 26. ... Rose finished with just two assists and four turnovers. ... The Pacers outrebounded the Bulls 52-40, outscored them 18-4 in transition and 28-14 in the paint. ... Chicago shot 7-for-22 in the lane.